Air hockey is a vanishing game, as Eric Anderson's documentary “Way of the Puck" shows. But there are still places in the Northwest where you can get your game on. Here are a few. Don't forget to try the "circle drift!"

Air hockey is not the rec room staple it was three decades ago. But still the game retains its appeal. Who can deny the satisfying ricochet of the puck around the table, or the click of a puck dropping in the goal? It’s not surprising that game developers have tried to replicate this game for the phone and iPad. The iPad is particularly well-suited to air hockey, with some games allowing four players on the board. Unlike regular air hockey, virtual air hockey is not just about physics and skill. The puck has a mind of its own, bringing added fun (or frustration, as the case may be).

We are excited to announce that local film critic Robert Horton is joining the Reel NW team for a second season. In season one, Robert interviewed several local filmmakers. This year, he will be talking to directors once again, as well as writing articles for our blog, including a regular feature called Robert Horton Recommends. These posts will be Robert’s recommendations for other independent films you might like if you like the kind of films seen on Reel NW.

Northwest Film Forum has announced that “Off Label,” a documentary by Portland directors Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher, is the first recipient of the Northwest Film Fund, a competitive fund that supports Northwest documentary film projects.

“Off Label,” which combines personal storytelling with archival and industry footage, is an “alternatively tragic and bleakly comic road trip through the methods and madness of pharmaceuticals in our culture.” A short preview is here.

Contrary to stereotypes, many homeless people do work. The characters in “Carts of Darkness” get their “spending money” from “binning,” or scavenging for bottles and cans and returning them for cash. A 2002 study by the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan U.S. research center, showed that 45 percent of homeless adults had worked in the last 30 days. But that number likely doesn’t include binning and other informal jobs.

The Reel NW film "Carts of Darkness" challenges stereotypes about the homeless, as well as assumptions of what's best for them. These homeless work, collecting bottles and turning them in for cash. And one of the characters. Fergy, prefers to sleep outside rather than at a shelter, saying the shelter isn’t conducive to getting sober.